Bad Witch is a 2020 American comedy horror film about a young male witch who befriends a teenage loner leading to all manner of shenanigans.
Co-directed by Victor Fink and Joshua Land from a screenplay written by James Hennigan, the Let it Reign Productions-MindInMotion movie stars Chris Kozlowski, Jackson Trent, Clare Lefebure and Jonathan Helwig.
Plot:
Xander is a witch whose abuse of black magic has led him to disaster after disaster. After trying to go clean of witchcraft, Xander befriends a young loner, helping Roland with bullies, girlfriends, and other teenage atrocities…
Reviews:
“Along with unexpected-but-it-actually-worked 80’s-synth background music, Kozlowski’s performance and his good chemistry with Trent’s Roland, along with the highs and lows of friendships, were convincing […] Despite these strengths, Bad Witch’s greatest weakness was a screenplay that couldn’t quite catch up to its clever idea for a film.” Heaven of Horror
“Kozlowski handles the lead role winningly, playing Xander as a smarmy, selfish jerk with enough of a likable side to hold viewers’ interest without turning on the character. Trent plays the shy Roland wonderfully, and these two actors play off each other marvelously […] Fink and Land balance the humor and horror superbly, and Bad Witch delivers some dynamite practical gore effects.” Horror Fuel
“Unfortunately, there’s little else going on, the narrative is slight, the majority of characters are odious (even the ones we are meant to like) and aside from a gruesome toe-nail removal scene, there’s very little to recommend in the horror department.” My Bloody Reviews
“Tonally, it vacillates from deadly grim to light and goofy and back again with little internal logic. The film’s middle act at times feels like it could have conceivably been produced for a younger teen audience, while the end, which I will not spoil here, takes the film into surprisingly dark territory. Although it is jarring, it’s not effective.” Rue Morgue
“The horror elements start off strongly enough before taking a back seat to the humour. Bad Witch treats its craft as something for chuckles, including a great scene with a voodoo doll […] Overall an enjoyable blend of laughs and darkness…” Voices from the Balcony
Release date:
In the USA, Gravitas Ventures released Bad Witch on Blu-ray and DVD on April 27th 2021.
Cast and characters:
Chris Kozlowski … Xander Perkins
Jackson Trent … Roland Grimm
Clare Lefebure … Veronica
Jonathan Helwig … Conrad Miller
James Hennigan … Henry Hunter
Abe Kim … Hans
Dom DiMercurio … Frederick Miller
Anna Fagan … Melissa
Matthew Sharpe … Tim (as Matt Sharpe)
Andrew Zibritosky … Crazy Preacher (as Andy Zibritosky)
Stephanie Giancola … Tricia
Daniel Braswell … Detective Proctor
Clayton Stocker Myers … Ron
Michael Sigler … Mr Grimm
Chase Graham … Jack
Trailer:
